Gudmundur Jonsson Architects has completed the renovation of a studio apartment in Reykjavik, Iceland.
The tiny house represents one of the elevations of the square on top of Reykjavik City center facing the famous church and the Sculpture Museum. This square is visited by each and every tourist that comes to Reykjavik. The apartment is on 2nd floor with a view towards the church, the Museum, the Pearl Restaurant and the Blue Mountains in distance. This spectacular setting was the reason for the investment in the apartment which was in very bad condition.
Apartment Reykjavik, image courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
There is only one apartment on each floor, each staircase level giving access to a tiny balcony that is not accessible from the apartment but just from the staircase.
This balcony was of no interest but gave an excellent opportunity to include in the apartment creating a new entrance with total glazing towards the backyard together with a view towards the roof landscape and the seaside.
Apartment Reykjavik, image courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
By changing this entrance an new and more clean kitchen solution could be established.
Further a load-bearing wall and other walls were toned down and replaced with steelbeam and in order to make use of the nice view towards the church and the square the windows were enlarged giving possibility for a replacement balcony as the french balcony and a totally glaced bay-window even with a glaced floor and roof.
The plan before had been divided into separated rooms and now the focus was on the open plan solution with division possibilities with acrylic sliding elements to separate the bedroom.
Apartment Reykjavik, image courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
The steelbeam is hidden with suspended ceiling that simultaneously is giving the entrance direction into the space, thus also being able to hide the suspension for the sliding acrylic elements and giving the optimal possibilities to play with different lighting as downlights and indirect lighting.
The ceiling height is rather above average and by establishing high kitchen cabinets the space is experienced with more grandeur. The white color is used to give the feeling of a bigger space than it is, just being 52 m2 after the enlargement with glaced baywindow and the use of the balcony as a new entrance. The cabinets are in high glossy finish with car painting and without visible handles to simplify the design and refine it. The floor covering is Casa Dolce Case tiles in graybrownish colour in 60×60 cm. tiles on the whole apartment.
Apartment Reykjavik, image courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
The bathroom has mirrorglass on one of the longitudinal wall to enlarge the feeling of space. All lights have dimming possibilities and a light control system with different scenes.
Apartment Reykjavik, image courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
The black kitchen island is covered with Nero Absolute handpolished matte stone with integrated and almost invisible Miele cooking top. On the other kitchen table there is a white Italian Cristobal stone. The wall between the lower and upper cabinets is covered with glass for better maintenance. Some other lighting is established as well for effects as LED lights around the TV-wall and under the bed.
+ Project credits / data
Project: Apartment Reykjavik
Location: Reykjavik, Iceland
Designer: Gudmundur Jonsson Architects | http://www.gudmundurjonsson.no/
+ All images courtesy Gudmundur Jonsson Architects
